When they reached arrivals, Elise spotted her father near the railing, breathless and pale. The veteran paused, leaning heavily on his cane. Their eyes met—father and father, two strangers bound by a lifetime of silence, and the world seemed to hold its breath. And suddenly, Elise saw the similarity she hadn’t been able to pin down earlier.
Then her father stepped forward, shaking, and the veteran lifted his arm with tentative hope. Their embrace was slow, trembling, years overdue. Elise felt Mara slip her hand into hers as four generations stood together—proof that a single act of kindness had stitched a family back into place.